Things I Learned During My 4.5 Years of College

Going out of state makes you extremely independent:

TCU has had so so SOOOO many positive effects on me as a person and throughout the past 4.5 years, I grew immensely. Going into college, I was more sheltered {due to primarily my mama}, and not saying that’s a bad thing BUT when the family came to visit my freshman year in September {a few weeks after school started} and we went to dinner, the waitress brought out shots of Deep Eddy’s grapefruit vodka and my mom was worried for me to take it… Little did she know the first week of big // little for the Greek system took a toll on me. During {and before} high school, I didn’t go to parties, I never hung out at the “cool” places {the mall // promenade lol}, or really did anything socially. I lived in a dance studio my whole life. I grew up doing EVERYTHING with my family and I grew up being able to ALWAYS rely on them to be there for me.

By attending an out of state school where nobody from my hometown attended, I was forced to start all over. I was forced to break out of my shell and begin my own chapter of my life. I was able to explore a new city and beyond, I was able to make some incredible friendships that will last a lifetime {I’ve already been in one of my BFFs weddings}, I was able to attend classes where the teachers actually knew the students {maximum like 20 in a class as oppose to USC}, I was able to make my own decisions and curfew, and I was still able to see my family almost once a month.

Actually become friends with your advisors // teachers:

Honestly, I kept telling myself {going into college} that I would do it. I would go to all my teacher’s “office hours” and connect with them on more of a “friends” level. Did I do that? NOPE!! Do I wish I had? YUPP!! Although there were a few teachers I did bond with, I wish there were more. Teachers are AMAZING connections. They are the ones you can rely on for letters of recommendations {that’s how I got into business school in London}, they are the ones who can bump you that extra 0.08 to get an A in their class, they are the ones you can potentially babysit for, and they are the ones that have the potential to find you a job.

While I wasn’t the closest with ALL of my teachers, I did form a friendship with my business advisor and he helped me get through college. I swear, he probably got annoyed with me at a point because I stopped making appointments to come in and I would just sit in his office and vent to him about life and school and everything in-between. {Shoutout KC}

Don’t make decisions just based on boys {or whomever you’re interested in}:

To think that there was a moment of time that I was questioning my decision of choosing TCU of USC is mind-blowing because had I transferred schools, I know I would have had a COMPLETELY different experience. Going into freshman year, so of y’all may know that that decision was one of my hardest, but I didn’t regret it after moving into my dorm, going through recruitment, and meeting some of my best friends. Going into sophomore year {and up to junior year} I thought I had met the guy of my dreams… IN CALIFORNIA. At that point, all my best friends had boyfriends and the guy I was “talking to” refused to make it “official” unless we were closer. I second guessed my happiness and all my decisions… DON’T DO THAT PEOPLE!! Relationships {as far as I know} are supposed to be a two way street. You BOTH have to make sacrifices and if somebody isn’t willing to be in a relationship with you and this somebody continues to string you along {aka: with FaceTime calls, telling you that you’re the one, saying they see a future with you, etc.}, they’re not the one. You have to think with your head as much as your heart and know that you are where you are for a reason.

Say “yes” to as much adventure as possible:

WOW… I truly think this one is my favorite because THIS is what lead me to going to some formals outside of Fort Worth with some of my best friends and THIS is what lead me to applying to go abroad even without knowing who was in my program. I went on AS MUCH ADVENTURE AS POSSIBLE!! I would go on road trips to Austin {for weekenders and music festivals}, College Station {to visit one of my friends, go to football games, go to parties, and meet new people}, Houston {to watch an Air Force Academy soccer game, meet new people, and even get my student visa}, and even just lil drives around Fort Worth with no destination. It was moments and weekends like these that made me truly appreciate where I was going to school and who my friends were.

As for studying abroad and THAT adventure… I still get the chills thinking about it and I would gladly pack up my bags and head out tomorrow if I could. I made new friends, made new memories, had new romances, explored different countries, and had the time of my life. I was fortunate to both study abroad and hold an internship in Barcelona and coming back to America was one of the hardest things to do. I didn’t expect my time in Europe to go by as fast as I did and my advice to anybody second guessing themselves about their decisions because they’re worried about leaving their friends and whatnot, your friends are only a FaceTime away and will still be in America when you get back, SO GO ON YOUR ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!!

Try new things:

As many of y’all know, I refused to try sushi because of the smell I remember walking in the fish isle of Gelson’s growing up. I stuck to what I knew; however, by expanding my horizons and broadening my senses I have come to like A LOT more things. My new favorite food is Thai food, I have officially tried sushi as of this past semester {white tail} and it wasn’t terrible, I now don’t mind tequila {especially if it’s masked with a really sugary margarita mix lol}, and so much more. I know this “try new things” section mostly relates to food, BUT also try new things when it comes to socialization. Travel more, say yes to dates, go out more, etc…

When I say “say yes to dates,” I’m not forcing you to go be with someone you don’t wanna date BUT you can always be friends with someone. The summer leading into my extra semester I agreed to going on so many dates and as a result I have made new friends, I have INCREDIBLE {hilariously tragic} stories to tell, and I even got some free food and wine out of them. By going on dates, you are better able to learn what attracts you to a person, what you look for in a relationship, and what you do NOT want {or at least I was able to distinguish all of those things}. Without saying “yes” {due to the woman I nanny for making me}, my summer and extra semester would have been a whole lot different. And with that, I was always a “home body” {especially since junior year}. I would rather stay in and watch Netflix than go to a bar EVEN THOUGH I LIVED ON THE SOCIAL SCENE STREET. I maybe went out twice in the past six months… Once was the second week I moved in and the second time was last weekend which was actually pretty dang fun because it forces you to socialize and meet new people.